Sept. 4, 2024: US Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-1) is the latest Member of Congress to co-sponsor the Nuclear Weapons Abolition and [Climate] Conversion Act (or “Norton Bill”), H.R. 2775. There are now thirteen Members of Congress supporting this bill, which calls on the US to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (or “Nuclear Ban Treaty”), work with the other nuclear-armed nations to ensure the elimination of all nuclear weapons from all countries, and put all those wasted billions of US taxpayer dollars into addressing the climate crisis and other pressing human needs.
The last Member of Congress to join the Norton Bill was Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan, who added his name to the bill over a year ago. Pingree’s added signature is a welcome sign that this bill is still alive and kicking, although of course we are soon approaching the end of this congressional session (2023-2024) and thirteen co-sponsors out of 438 elected Representatives in Congress is hardly resounding.
Much more work still needs to be done to build support for the the Nuclear Ban Treaty and the total elimination of nuclear weapons. As with climate, the clock is ticking on these existential threats to the planet. But every step forward is a sign of progress, and we just have to keep pushing for sanity to prevail.
